Hello and welcome back to the final episode of this challenge, the challenge to win the Champions League with a team of only U21 players. In the first four seasons our Benfica team have managed to reach the quarter-final twice, but it had never felt particularly close to us lifting the trophy. We simply haven’t been good enough compared to the biggest teams in Europe. This season however, Benfica and manager Ronaldo make one final push for the title with the best squad yet! Continue reading →

“And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain”

Season 5. We are approaching the final season of our challenge to win the Champions League with a team consisting entirely of U21 players. Before we dive into the adventures of our final season let’s sit back and look at how we’ve done so far. Perhaps you’re new to the series and want a “quick” recap or perhaps you’re a loyal reader and just want to enjoy it all over again. Anyway, I’m gonna try to summarise our first four seasons and I’m gonna do it to the tune of Frank Sinatra.

“My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain” Continue reading →

Introduction

I still love playing this Benfica challenge, but three to four seasons into the series the writing has grown a bit stale. It feels like we’re basically repeating the same season review all over again, which gets a bit boring. Therefore I’ll jump from the last post’s 3rd season review into the 4th season review, which I’ll try to keep as short as possible. Let’s fast forward! Continue reading →

Introduction/expectations

I try to keep these season review posts pretty short, focusing on our ultimate goal of winning the Champions League and then briefly go through the rest of the results. I gave us a 10% chance of winning the Champions League ahead of this season, which reflected my feeling that we both lacked the depth and quality to become serious title contenders. Continue reading →